Florence has brought femininity to the male-dominated build industry as the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) president.
Florence, an award-winning architect for her project at the Mara Girls Leadership School and currently pursuing her Master’s in Architecture and Design, is all about excellence and service.
“What is important for me is that during my leadership tenure, I have been present, active and elevated the status of our association,” says Florence, who is also a partner at Ecospace Architects.
"Women lead excellently. They lead with a nurturing spirit, with care and courage. At this time, what the built environment needs is a woman who is assertive, very calm, and high-spirited."
Upon completing her education at Kenya High School, Florence pursued a Diploma in Business Information Technology at Strathmore University. She then joined the University of Nairobi in 2005 to study architecture.
She plays an executive role at the AAK where she is the organisation’s voice “to speak on the issues that affect architects. Many times, I find myself in meetings, either with the government, academia or in the field, especially right now with the ongoing Mulika Mjengo campaign that is aimed at sensitising the public on safe building.”
She approaches advocacy in a relaxed and calm manner. She once said, “Advocacy is a Catch-22. We can go to the streets and shout, but is that the right way? Our voice should not just criticise but also advise.”
Being a woman in architecture, she is alive to the fact that many female architects face a challenge getting into the industry when they graduate. “When I was in school, we were about four women who graduated in a class of 20 students. But today, the numbers have increased, with many women graduating from the university. The challenge is that the graduates come to an unfriendly architectural environment. We are trying to ensure that those already in the industry take them in as interns, graduate architects or as architects and mentor them into the field.”
She is big on women’s leadership and says, “Women lead excellently. They lead with a nurturing spirit, with care and courage. At this time, what the built environment needs is a woman who is assertive, very calm and high-spirited.”
When she is not in the office or being AAK president, you will find her in a musical concert or spending time with her family and friends.
“I have a very close-knit family. I enjoy spending time with my nephews. I also have my inner circle of friends and I catch up with them every month,” she says.
Her architectural signature look is simple, “In our office, we say, if it is not flat, it is sharp. So the roof should be either 45, 60 degrees or we go flat. That way you can make a statement with what you are doing.” The bottom line is the functionality of the space.
For Florence, the most rewarding bit of being an architect is seeing a project come to life.
“We come up with a lot of architectural designs but not many projects go to the site. When a project goes to the site, it means that you have a portfolio that will be visible to the world. As AAK President, the reward comes when we push for something and get some audience, especially with the government. Creating opportunities for our members is also fulfilling. Right now, we are talking about affordable housing and we are pushing to ensure that all our members can access the projects. I am happy that several architectural firms that applied for these jobs back in 2023 are now being engaged. This is a big win.”
– By Caroline Wanjugu
